The official mission magazine of the Seventh-day Adventist® Church VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 2
Special Children’s Issue
4
8
18
20
26
Trouble at Sea Angels
on the Mountain Goats and
Friends Vitoria’s Canoe Ministry Jason’s
Victory Socks Digital Issue Online at Mission360Mag.org
Editorial E
veryone loves a good story, and in this special children’s issue of Mission 360°, you’ll find the pages packed with stories and pictures of mission from around the world. We’ve also tucked in some fun activities. So why did we devote an entire issue to children? Because one is never too young (or too old!) to develop a love for mission, realizing that it is the very heartbeat of the church. “The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world.”* We want our children to be excited about mission and to understand that they, too, have a part in this very important work. And we want them to
2
know about and be proud of the work that their church is doing. Learn how God used a young boy and a goatherd to reach an entire village in Portugal for Him. See how a church was planted with pancakes in Korea. Listen to the story of a nine-year-old girl from the Amazon and how she and her father produce a radio program to share Jesus with others. Feel for the 12-yearold boy and his mother in Ukraine who were willing to go without food so that they could purchase a Bible. Be inspired by how a camp in Alaska is providing hope to the sometimes forgotten children of the far north. You’ll find all this and more in this special children’s edition of Mission 360°. We hope that you find this magazine to be a good resource for
children’s ministries, for Sabbath School (along with the children’s Mission quarterly), for Pathfinders, and for school and home worships, as well as many other creative uses. It is our prayer that the material in this magazine will ignite a passion for mission in all of our hearts that will shine brightly until Jesus comes! Let’s let our lights shine for Him! * Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9.
Gina Wahlen Mission 360°, contributing editor Mission magazines, editor
Features THE OFFICIAL MISSION MAGAZINE OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST® CHURCH
4 Trouble at Sea 6 Hungry for a Bible 8 Angels on the Mountain 10 Down but Not Out 13 Get Moving! 14 Find the Difference 15 Happiness in Madagascar 16 Children of the World 18 Goats and Friends 20 Vitoria’s Canoe Ministry 23 African Safari Puzzle 24 Blooms by Bethany 26 Jason’s Victory Socks 28 The Christmas Cookie Project 31 Kamala’s Gift
Chairman: G. T. Ng Editor: Gary Krause Managing Editors: Nancy Kyte, Laurie Falvo Contributing Editors: Adventist Mission: Gina Wahlen Adventist Volunteer Service: John Thomas Archives, Statistics and Research: David Trim Global Mission Centers: Rick McEdward Institute of World Mission: Cheryl Doss International Personnel Resources and Services: J. Raymond Wahlen II Secretariat: Rosa Banks, Augustin Galicia, Myron Iseminger, Harald Wollan Editorial Staff: Teen Nielsen Editorial Advisors: Petras Bahadur, Paolo Benini, Edison Choque, Jose Cortes, Jr., Richard Elofer, Kleber Gonçalves, Graeme Humble, Johnson Jacobs, Kwon JohngHaeng, Zakari Kassoule, Elkana Kerosi, Viktor Kozakov, Jr., Alex Ott, Justino Paulo, Karen J. Porter, Gerson Santos, Clifmond Shameerudeen, Samuel Telemaque, Paul Tompkins, Ernesto Douglas Venn, Gregory Whitsett Design: 316 Creative Production and Digital Media: Hans Olson, Rick Kajiura, Donna Rodill Finances: Delbert Pearman
Mission 360° is a quarterly magazine produced and copyrighted ©2015 by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. All rights reserved. The contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904-6601, USA Telephone: (301) 680-6005 Email: questions@mission360.org
V O L U M E 3, N U M B E R 2 ADVENTIST and SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST® CHURCH are the registered trademarks of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®. Unless otherwise noted, Bible verses are quoted from the King James Version.
3
JAMAICA
TroubleatSea The following story occurred in 1946 when Robert H. Pierson and his family were living in Jamaica. It has been reprinted from Guide’s Greatest Mission Stories, a compilation of stories from Guide magazine.
H
ow would you like to be in a small, ancient seaplane headed out toward the broad Atlantic Ocean with both your compass and radio out of commission? That is exactly what happened to Elder William Barclay and me in the East Indies some years ago. Pastor Bill and I lived in Jamaica, but we were on a visit to the Cayman Islands. Usually when we went to Grand Cayman we traveled by boat, but the boat trip was long and sometimes rough. And we were not always good sailors. So we decided to take the plane back to Jamaica. Now, this was no Boeing 727, not even an old DC-3. This “airline”—the first of its kind on that run—held together with baling wire and faith. An enterprising American pilot operated it, just after World War II. So Pastor Bill and I boarded the old seaplane. We were young and ready for adventure. But as we soon found out, we were not ready for quite as much adventure as this trip provided. The plane was full of happy
4
passengers as we headed for our first stop, the island of Cayman Brac. The short flight was smooth and uneventful, and the beautiful blue Gulf of Mexico looked calm and peaceful a few thousand feet below us. After picking up and dropping off some passengers, we left Cayman Brac. Taking off from Cayman Brac was not quite so pleasant. The huge sea swells made it difficult for our tiny craft to lift off. But finally, after much groaning and shuddering, coughing and sputtering, the old plane lumbered into the air, clearing the last curling whitecaps by inches. Pastor Bill and I took turns sitting in the copilot’s seat and getting acquainted with the pilot. He was a genial, friendly young man and he patiently explained the mysteries of aviation to us as we continued our flight home to Kingston, Jamaica. We hadn’t been in the air long when Pastor Bill noticed that the radio had stopped crackling. He also noticed the rather worried look o n
the pilot’s face. “What’s the trouble?” Pastor Bill asked. “Is something wrong?” At first the young pilot avoided the question. “Your radio isn’t working,” my friend pressed. “I haven’t heard you talking with the Kingston tower for some time.” “I hope it will be all right shortly,” the pilot replied. “Better not talk too loudly. The passengers may become alarmed.” A few minutes later Pastor Bill noticed him glancing anxiously at the compass on the instrument panel. “Having compass trouble?” The wrinkled brow and an evasive reply convinced my friend that there really was trouble. “What happens when you have compass trouble?” he asked. The pilot mumbled something about the position of the sun, as well as a few other lame explanations of how one could find one’s way to Jamaica even without a compass. But there we were high in the air—in late afternoon. Soon there wouldn’t even be a sun in the
sky to help an anxious pilot on an old seaplane without a radio or a compass. Pastor Bill got the word back to me in the passenger cabin. “Pray,” his note said. “We’re in trouble. Both the radio and the compass are gone.” At the jetty in Kingston my wife and Mrs. Barclay were in a happy mood awaiting our arrival. They talked of the American household items available in Georgetown that could not be purchased in Jamaica during the war. They hoped we were bringing some of them with us. Time slipped by. The arrival time for the plane passed—15 minutes, a half hour, an hour, and more. Our young wives were getting anxious. Plane agents sought to reassure them. “They’ll be here any minute,” the agents said. “Any minute.” Back on the plane the situation was becoming more serious. The sun was sinking into the dark gulf waters. Some passengers, sensing that something was wrong, were getting uneasy and asking one another anxious questions.
The book Guide’s Greatest Mission Stories is available at the local Adventist Book Center or online at AdventistBookCenter.com. Other stories and activities from Guide magazine can be found at guidemagazine.org.
In the cockpit Pastor Bill had more questions for the pilot. “If we miss Jamaica, then what?” he asked. “We may end up in the Atlantic, I’m afraid,” came the reply. “How much fuel do you have?” No answer. “If we have to ditch in the ocean, how long will the plane stay afloat?” “Long enough for someone to reach us with help, I hope,” the pilot said without too much assurance in his voice. By this time several Christian passengers aboard were joining us in asking the Lord for His help in guiding the lost seaplane home. The shadows of night were falling. We were long
overdue at the Kingston seaplane anchorage. “Lights,” the pilot gasped suddenly. “There are the lights of Jamaica. I’m sure of it.” A few more minutes passed. Then we saw more and more lights. All colors. The pilot recognized some identifying lights that assured us that the Lord had heard our prayers. We would make it! We did, but only just barely! As we taxied up to a dock, the last fuel sputtered out, and the old seaplane coughed to a stop. Thank God, the great Pilot in the sky, who sometimes takes over in an hour of peril.
“If we have to ditch in the ocean, how long will the plane stay afloat?”
Robert H. Pierson served as president of the Seventh-day Adventist world headquarters from 1966 to 1979. He and his family served as missionaries in India, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Zimbabwe. His sons Robert and John were 10 and 14 years old when this story took place. They were at the airport and anxiously watched the old seaplane drift to the pier, thankful to see their father arrive safely.
5
UKRAINE
Hungry for a
Bible W
©iStock.com/ Valedetta
6
hen I was born, the umbilic a l co r d w a s wrapped so tightly around my neck that it was choking me. Fortunately, the doctor was able to unwrap it in time so that I could take my first breath. By the time I was 3 years old, my parents divorced, and I did not see my father again. Life became very hard for my mother and me, and she often wished she could die. But she was worried about who would take care of me. Sometimes s h e wo u l d just hug me and cry. One day all of the elec-
tricity in our small apartment was cut off because we couldn’t pay the bill. It was so cold, but without electricity we weren’t even able to boil water for tea. We hardly had any food, and I often went to school hungry. We lived like this for many years, and my mother and I were always sad. One day when I was 12 years old, a friend invited my mother to a concert celebrating the birth of Jesus. The concert was at a Seventh-day Adventist church, and even though my mom didn’t know anything about Jesus, she decided to go. It was during that concert that my mom heard the story of Jesus for the first time. When she returned home, my mother told me that there was a God who loves us, who wanted us to live and to be happy. As she was telling me about the concert, her face was radiant, and I could see that she wanted to live. We wanted to learn more about this God and especially wanted to have our own Bible—but where could we find one? It wasn’t easy to find a Bible in Ukraine at that time. Then one day my mother learned where we could buy a Bible—but it would cost a lot of money—almost all of the money we had for two weeks. At that time my mom was working in a café, where she earned the equivalent of just two US dollars per week. It was barely enough for us to buy food. We both understood
“Would you be willing to go without food for two weeks but have a Bible instead?” that we didn’t have enough money to buy the Bible and to eat. My mother looked at me and asked, “My son, would you be willing to go without food for two weeks but have a Bible instead?” I told her, “Yes, I’m willing to be hungry so we can have a Bible.” She bought the Bible, and as she began reading it, I could see that my mother was changing. She was happier. She started to punish me less and talk with me more, which of course made me happier, too! For several months my mom attended an Adventist church. But then bad things started happening with my neighborhood friends. They had heard that my mom and I had joined a “cult,”* and suddenly all of my friends were against me! They didn’t want to play football with me anymore— when I came outside, they would all go home. I thought maybe if I tried smoking, like my friends, that would bring them back. But
A Ukrainian Bible. Photo: Guillaume Speurt, http://www.bibleinmylanguage.com.
Two Ukrainian hryvni (banknote) and two Ukrainian kopiyok (coin).
nothing worked—I didn’t know what to do, and I felt very lonely. One day the Adventist pastor invited us to stay with his family for a while. During worship time the pastor would pray for me, but I could feel a war in my heart—should I accept Jesus as my Savior, or should I try to be accepted by my old friends? Every time the pastor prayed for me, I would leave the room. My mother was taking Bible studies from the pastor, and she often shared with me the things she was learning—about the seventh-day
Sabbath, about how to live as a Christian, and other things like that. And I knew that my mom was praying for me. Then things started to change in my heart. I could see how my mother was changing for the better. I was learning the Bible truths that she was sharing with me. I knew that she and the pastor were praying for me. All of these things had a big effect on me. I decided that I wanted to follow Jesus, and was baptized. * A religion that is considered strange or dangerous.
Gina Wahlen serves as the editor of the Mission magazines for the Office of Adventist Mission at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
Left to right: Volodya still treasures his Bible as he studies to become a pastor at the Ukrainian Adventist Center of Higher Education. One of the many beautiful Adventist churches in Ukraine. Photo: George Chernilevsky. Volodya often went to school hungry, but he tried not to let the other children know that he had no food.
7
ALASKA
Angels on the W
hen I was 8 years old, I couldn’t go to junior camp because I was too young. Many people in Alaska call Camp Polaris “junior camp.” I went there to drop off my older sister and cousin, and when I had to get back in the boat to leave, I started crying. I wanted so badly to stay at camp with all the other kids! They were having fun, they had a schedule, everybody seemed happy, and I wanted to be there, too! When I turned 9, I finally got to go to camp. I was so excited and absolutely loved being there! I went every year until I was too old for camp. There were many fun and interesting experiences I had there, but one that I especially remember happened the summer I was 14 years old. We were all in the cabin, and some of the boys wanted to tell ghost stories. It was around 12:30 in the morning, and I told them that I just wanted to go to sleep, but they started telling ghost stories anyway. Our counselor was asleep, so he didn’t know what was going on. After a while, things started getting really scary. One of my friends was sitting in the corner very quietly. After the last ghost story was told, he jumped up and ran to the other side of the cabin, where I was. The only beam of light that was showing through the door was shining right by my bunk bed, and he wanted to be there beside me. “Chad,” he said, “I don’t know what happened, but I’m really scared—something happened to me.”
8
Mountain
Chad, back left, and his wife, Elizabeth, right, live in Togiak, Alaska, where they enjoy sharing the hope of Jesus with their neighbors.
I was scared, too, and said, “Let’s get a Bible!” I started reading the Bible to him, and another friend joined us on my bunk because he was scared, too. I kept reading the Bible, but I could see that my friends were still scared, so I said, “Let’s go outside.” In the bright moonlight we could see the lake and the huge mountains all around us. As I looked up at those tall mountains, I remembered the Bible story about when Elisha’s servant was so afraid because they were surrounded by their enemies. Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant, and God answered his prayer. Suddenly the man saw angels in fiery chariots all around them. Remembering that story, I suddenly blurted out to my friends, “You
guys, look! Look at the tops of the mountains! All the angels are on this mountain!” You could just see my friends calming down. We went back into the cabin and fell asleep. The next morning, I felt so humbled that God used me to help my friends. I had thought that I was too young for God to use me. But now I know that you don’t have to be “old enough” for God to use you—you just have to be willing. Camp Polaris is really old and worn down now, but I know that people are trying hard to get money to build the camp back up again. God has used that place to help so many people who live here, and people from all over Alaska have heard about what a wonderful place it is. I believe that
Singing songs about Jesus is one of the campers’ favorite activities. Camp Polaris is so remote, the only way to access it is by boat or plane.
The children love exploring their Bibles to learn about God.
Nestled at the foot of Jackknife Mountain, Camp Polaris is a mission camp that gives community children an opportunity to grow in their relationship with God, discover new skills, and enjoy fun activities in a pristine setting.
Global Mission pioneers are local people who dedicate at least one year to staring new churches in areas or among people groups where there is little or no Adventist presence. Many are volunteers, living on small stipends. They work in challenging conditions and some are the only Seventh-day Adventists in an area of more than one million people. To learn more about their unique ministry, visit www.global-mission.org. To watch a video about Chad and his ministry, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqPhp9VkXGU if we keep building it up, making it an even better place, God will keep using it to change people’s lives for the better, like mine. We are so happy that Camp Polaris was chosen to receive part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this year. Even
though the children love coming to camp now, I know that they will be even
happier to have mattresses to sleep on and have real toilets and showers.
Chad Angasan with Gina Wahlen. Chad Angasan, a native Inuit/Aleut, is a Global Mission pioneer pastoring in the village of Togiak, Alaska. Gina Wahlen serves as the editor of the Mission magazines for the Office of Adventist Mission at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
9
BELIZE
Down but
Not
I
Out
’m the second of twins—born 20 minutes after my brother. We grew up in the country of Belize, in a little village named Burrell Boom. My dad grew up as an Adventist, but later he decided to leave the church. But my mother raised us as Adventists, and I was baptized when I was around 13 years old. We traveled eight miles (12.8 kilometers) to church each week. That might not seem so far, but in Belize travel isn’t always easy. We were glad when my father built a house nearer to the church. My dad has an electrical business. He’s responsible for planting the tall, heavy electrical poles that you see along the sides of roads. It’s hard work to dig down six feet (1.8 meters) and then use a big machine to lift up the pole. My dad’s workers would then climb the poles and install everything to make them work. When we were old enough, my brother and I started climbing poles for our dad. It’s very hard and dangerous work. One day as I was climbing, the safety strap was biting into my leg. I put my weight on it, hoping it would stop hurting, but then I fell 40 feet (12 meters) onto a rock and was knocked unconscious. When I awoke, I tried to move, but I couldn’t. After a long, hard journey to the hospital, we finally arrived. The doctor put a big needle in my foot, but I didn’t feel a thing. They said I would never walk again.
10
But the faith I was raised with brought me hope. I felt so calm and peaceful. As my mother stood at my bedside crying, I told her, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be OK.” I always remember that moment. It matters how your parents raise you. God allowed me to handle this crisis and go through it not stressing out, but having faith that something good would come out of it and that I would be all right. One day while on the Internet at home I found a picture of a hand-pedaled bike. I downloaded the picture, saved up some money to buy materials, and then built my own bike. When it was ready, I was surprised by how everything worked so perfectly. No one knew what it was. As I rode places everyone was waving at me and I felt happy. One day I met some Americans who were riding their bicycles in Belize. They had biked a long way, and they stayed at a place near my home. When I went to my dad’s shop, they saw my bike and started taking pictures. They told me that they would send
them to me by e-mail. They sent the pictures to others as well, and soon someone from our Belize TV station called me for an interview. That gave me the opportunity to tell my story and share my faith with the entire country! I also wanted to raise awareness of disabilities, so I partnered with Care Belize, an organization that works with people with disabilities and their families. I planned to bike across Belize—a 90-mile (144.84 kilometer) trip. A business from Germany heard about
Left: Jerome is very happy because even though he had a bad accident, God has helped him to live a wonderful life and help others, too. Below left: Jerome enjoys making and polishing beautiful handcrafted furniture from bamboo. Below: Sitting on his new lightweight bike, Jerome is ready to ride.
my plans and sponsored materials for me to build another bike, because the first one I had made was very heavy. I trained on the heavy one, but then made the actual 90-mile trip on the new aluminum-frame bike. I did the ride in just three days! Since then, I’ve done lots of bicycle trips, traveling on all of the major
highways in Belize. My message is: Don’t look at people who have disabilities as if they aren’t able to do
anything. With God, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything He wants you to do!
Jerome Flores with Gina Wahlen. Jerome Flores lives near Belmopan, Belize. He enjoys riding his bicycle across the country of Belize and raising awareness of people with disabilities. He is an active Seventh-day Adventist and often speaks at youth gatherings. Gina Wahlen serves as the editor of the Mission magazines for the Office of Adventist Mission at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
11
Planting a Church With
W
Pancakes
hen Mrs. Shin’s 13-year-old daughter, Bo Hwa, was lonely because there were no teens at church, Mrs. Shin knew what to do. Getting up before dawn, she handcrafted 2,000 hotok (Korean pancakes) and sold them every morning to hungry students near the local high school. As she befriended her young customers, the young people started coming to the Shin’s home and learning about Jesus. Over the past 16 years more than 400 youth have been baptized as a direct result of Mrs. Shin’s ministry. Meeting in a makeshift building, the young members were delighted that their church plant had been chosen to receive part of a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Mrs. Shin’s church plant is only one of many projects benefited by your generous Thirteenth Sabbath Offerings each quarter. Thank you!
Did you know that you don’t have to wait to give your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering? Just go to our secure Web site anytime at Giving.AdventistMission.org. Mission YOUTH & ADULT
Mission Quarterlies
2015 • QUARTER 3 • SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC
DIVISION
Missi CHI
2015 •
QUAR
TER 3
The Youth and Adult Mission and Children’s Mission quarterlies have provided great stories for more than a century, connecting members with their church family. Don’t miss out! They’re available free at www.AdventistMission.org/resources.
GREAT FOR • Sabbath School • Home worships
www.Adv entistMis sion.org
• School worships • Pathfinder meetings
• Youth meetings • Prayer meetings
ww w.
A dv
en ti st
M is si
on .o
rg
• SOUTHE
on
LDR
RN ASI
EN’
A-PACI FIC
DIVISIO
N
S
D E N M A R K A N D TA I W A N
Get
Moving!
W
hat could be better than playing games with friends outside? Running and jumping is good for the heart, so let’s get moving! Invite neighbors of all ages, have fun, and feel great!
Jumbo Jump— DENMARK
Number of players: 8 to 20 Location: outdoors or gymnasium
• Divide the players into two equal teams. • At the starting line, the first player from each team takes a turn to make a jump with both legs together.
• The second player from each team jumps from where the first player landed, and so on, until all players have made one jump.
• The team that jumps the farthest collective distance wins.
Commander TAIWAN
Number of players: Any number Location: outdoors or gymnasium
• Choose one person to be the commander. The commander moves a distance away from the players and turns his/her back to everyone.
• The commander counts one, two, three. As the commander counts, everyone moves closer to the commander.
• After counting to three, the commander quickly turns to look at the players.
• No one is allowed to move at that time. If anyone moves, the
commander can point to that player and call them out, eliminating them from the game. • The commander turns away and again counts and then turns, and so on. • When a player is able to reach out and touch the commander, that player wins the game. 13
THAILAND
Find the Difference
I
n Thailand, where beauty and culture is highly appreciated, skilled artists paint intricate designs that transform everyday objects into something special. For instance, why have a plain fan if you could have a pretty one instead! There are 10 changes to the original photo of the artist’s paint supplies. See if you can find them all. (The answers are below.)
14
Paint color of jar toward bottom right. Face on ID badge in lower right. Notches in metal tool. Green dot bottom center. Orientation of text on card toward upper right. Pack of gum next to card. Letter “A” on gold paint tube top center. Paint spots on lid top center left. Color of paint lid lower left. Pen left center.
M A DAGA S C A R
Happiness in
Madagascar
S
ome of the friendliest people on earth live in Madagascar. Blessed with many mountains, rivers, and waterfalls, the country is lush and green, attracting visitors from around the world. It is also home to many unique animals and butterflies. Life isn’t easy in this beautiful country because people have to work very hard to support themselves and their families. Most of them don’t have cars or motor scooters, so they have to go everywhere on foot. You can imagine how long it takes to get to the next town or village when walking is their only option. Pedestrians, livestock, and motor vehicles share the road, so everyone has to stay alert. When folks have things to sell or trade, they carry them in a basket on their head. It’s better for business if they can afford to buy a cart to carry bigger loads, but it still requires a lot of strength and energy to push the cart up and down the winding roads. It is also dangerous because buses
have to swerve around them. By the time they finish their business in town, it might be the middle of the night before they get back home. In spite of many day-to-day challenges, people in Madagascar are very quick to smile and wave. In the village of Ankarimbelo, there is a small group of people who have a good reason to be happy. They are new Adventists, worshipping together in a church they built with their own hands. Pastor Haja, a Global Mission pioneer, started working in the area just over a year ago. The number of people who began to worship together on Sabbath grew very quickly, and soon it was time to have a place of their own. A little church building was built on a pretty piece of property beside a small lake. The hardworking members gathered all of the building material themselves. They went to a nearby mountain to carve out rocks for the foundation. They cut lumber from
nearly 250 trees. Someone made curtains, another person provided a table, and everyone pitched in to help where they could. Once all the material was organized, it only took 10 days for the members to build the church. In the next three years they hope to have a bigger, sturdier church, but in the meantime they are very happy to have a Seventh-day Adventist church of their own. We send our congratulations to the members in Ankarimbelo! Across the globe, approximately six new Seventh-day Adventist congregations are established every day. Please pray for Global Mission church planters, such as Pastor Haja, who are taking the gospel to areas where people are eager to learn about Jesus. Nancy Kyte Office of Adventist Mission
15
Children of the INDONESIA
World
Your mission offerings help reach children all over the world for Jesus. Thank you! FOUR WAYS TO GIVE: • During Sabbath School • Secure online: Giving.AdventistMission.org • In North America, write “World Budget” on a tithe envelope at your local church
• Call 800-648-5824
THAILAND
TA I W A N
ROMANIA
PERU
PA R A G U AY
16
PA K I S TA N
SOUTH KOREA
VA N U AT U
MOZAMBIQUE
EAST TIMOR
CHINA
17 B U LG A R I A
U N I T E D S TAT E S
P O RT U G A L
Goats and
Friends
C
hristof and his parents and two brothers once lived in a crowded city. But they wanted to live in the countryside, so they moved to a tiny village in a mountain valley in central Portugal. The boys help their parents plant and harvest the food in their large garden. They take care of their chickens so they can have fresh eggs to eat. There are no children in the nearby village, but the brothers don’t mind. They have each other. They study their lessons at home with their mother. One day Christof saw his neighbor, Antonio, herding his goats near Christof’s family farm. The boy waved a greeting and ran to the man. “Hi,” he said. “Those are r e a l l y n i ce goats you have.” Christof paused a moment. “I’ve been thinking of getting some goats. Do you have any suggestions? Do they cost a lot to raise? Do they need lots of care?”
18
Young goats are full of curiosity. [©iStock.com/monica-photo.]
Antonio laughed. “So many questions!” he said. “Walk with me, and I’ll tell you about goats.” And he did. Antonio explained that goats eat nearly anything—including garden crops! He showed Christof how to milk a goat, and he let him taste some goat cheese. Christof thanked Antonio for his advice and said goodbye. That evening the boy asked his parents, “Please, may I use my allowance to buy some goats?” Christof’s parents talked about it and decided that Christof could buy some goats. Antonio helped the boy buy good goats and told him more about how to care for them.
Christof with one of his baby goats.
Antonio couldn’t read, so Christof read the Bible to him.
Antonio taught Christof all about herding goats.
FUN FACTS • Portugal is a rectangular country lying south and west of
Spain on the Iberian Peninsula. The country’s long coastline faces the Atlantic Ocean. • Portugal’s capital and largest city is Lisbon. • The official language is Portuguese. • The people of Portugal are from many countries and different cultures. In recent years immigrants from Africa, Brazil, and Asia have given the country an even more varied cultural character. To watch a video about Christof and his goats, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrtjW5bdl3c.
Antonio and Christof often talked about their goats, and their friendship grew along with the goats. One day Christof asked Antonio, “Do you believe in God?” “Yes,” Antonio said. “I do believe in God. But there’s no church in our village.” As the man and young boy talked, Christof realized that Antonio couldn’t read. The boy offered to bring his Bible and read to Antonio. The man smiled with pleasure. From that day on, whenever Christof went to visit Antonio, he took his Bible along. “What church do you attend?” Antonio asked. “We’re Seventh-day Adventists,” the boy answered. “We worship God on the Sabbath.” “Oh,” Antonio said surprised. “My grandmother told me about the Sabbath when I was a boy.” Christof and Antonio talked about the Sabbath for a while, and the boy invited his friend to go to the nearest
Adventist church with his family. But Antonio felt that the church was too far. So Antonio invited Christof’s family to come to his house on Sundays to worship and read the Bible together. Word spread through the tiny village that Christof was reading the Bible to Antonio. Marie-Elise, one of Antonio’s neighbors, asked Christof to read the Bible to her as well. In fact, most of the old villagers wanted the boy to read the Bible to them. Christof and his brothers began riding their bikes into the village to spend time with the aging villagers. The villagers loved the visits, for the boys were the only children within miles. The boys offered to help work in people’s gardens, care for their animals, and do other chores the villagers couldn’t manage well anymore. Christof and his brothers became the grandchildren of the village. Christof’s family held a weeklong series of Bible studies for the villagers.
And everyone—everyone—in the village attended. Then they organized weekly Bible study meetings in a villager’s home. People in neighboring villages heard about the meetings, and they wanted to hear the message too. Today three villages have small groups that meet regularly to study the Bible and learn of God’s love. Some villagers have even begun worshipping on the Sabbath. In the mountains of central Portugal people have begun accepting God’s message of love, a message that started with a young boy, a herder, and some goats. Charlotte Ishkanian is the former editor of the Mission magazines for the Office of Adventist Mission at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
19
BRAZIL
Vitoria’s Canoe Ministry V
itoria is ten years old. She lives on an island in the Amazon River in Brazil. Her house is built on stilts. During the rainy season, the Amazon River rises, often flooding the islands in its path. A house built on stilts is safer when the river rises. Vitoria’s family doesn’t own a car, for their island has no roads. Instead, they use a boat to get around. Do you think it would be fun to live on Vitoria’s island? Vitoria’s whole family is busy sharing God’s love with others. Since Vitoria was little, she has gone with her father to meet with small groups of people who want to study the Bible. One of Vitoria’s friends is Patrick. He and his sister sometimes went to Sabbath School, but when he missed several weeks, Vitoria decided to visit him. “I’ll go with you,” her father said. “I want to talk to Patrick’s parents about starting a small group in their home.” Vitoria nodded happily. Vitoria and her father paddled their boat up the river to Patrick’s home. They tied up the boat and stepped out onto the slippery logs that line the shore. Father went inside while Vitoria and Patrick sat outside and talked. 20
Vitoria with her friend Patrick.
When it was time to go, Vitoria and her father said goodbye and started paddling home. “Patrick’s parents agreed to have a small group meet in their home,” Father told her. “I talked to Patrick about it, and he wants to invite his friends to come,”
Vitoria replied. “Would you like to lead a children’s meeting?” Father asked. “That would be great!” Vitoria answered. She had seen her father lead many small-group meetings and knew what to do.
One day a week Vitoria climbs into her canoe and paddles upriver to meet with her Bible-study group.
Vitoria telling a children’s story on her father’s radio program.
The next week Vitoria, her brother, Daniel, and two friends from church climbed into the boat and paddled to Patrick’s house. When they arrived, several other children were already there. Patrick had invited them. Daniel and Patrick carried the Bible-study club’s materials to the house, and soon they were ready to begin. Vitoria led the group in a welcome song, and then the children knelt on the hard, wooden floor and prayed. Vitoria’s brother gave each child an activity book, while she opened her leader’s guide. She had studied the lesson carefully and could tell the Bible story well. She stopped to explain things that some of the children didn’t understand. After the story, each child opened their activity book and completed the workbook pages for that day’s lesson. It was much more fun than schoolwork, and Vitoria and her friends helped those who were new to studying the Bible. When they all had finished their workbooks, they chatted while Patrick’s mother served a small snack. Soon it was time to leave, for Vitoria and her friends had to be home before the sun set because it gets dark quickly on the equator! Vitoria has been leading the children’s small group for more than a
FUN FACTS • The Amazon River flows across northern Brazil and is the second
longest river in the world. It begins in the Andes Mountains in Peru and flows for about 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. • Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest country. It covers about half of South America and is home to half of the continent’s people—about 202 million. Most of the people live along Brazil’s long coastline. To watch a video about Vitoria and her canoe ministry, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4MfZ8KHVHY.
year now. Every week she studies the lesson carefully so she knows what to say. Then, before she and her brother leave for Patrick’s house, she prays that God will keep them safe and will
help her to say the things that will lead the children to Jesus. Since she started the Bible-study club, Patrick and his sister have been baptized and several other children have asked to 21
“I tell my friends about Jesus because I want to be in heaven with them.” Vitoria’s pet toucan, Samson.
follow Jesus. The group is praying that Patrick’s parents will give their hearts to God as well. The small group isn’t Vitoria’s only ministry. She helps lead the Primary Sabbath School and has a part in her father’s weekly radio ministry as well. “It’s fun doing God’s work!” Vitoria says. “We all must share God’s love with those we meet every day.” When Vitoria’s father started the radio program four years ago, he wanted to talk to grown-up people about God. Then he asked Vitoria to tell a story for the children. Now they do the program together.
“I tell a story,” Vitoria says. “We play music and share prayer requests and talk about health. My father has a short sermon.” The radio station reaches the islands around Vitoria’s home, and many people listen. People write to say that they like the programs. The pastor says that the radio program has helped many people know about God and the church. “Sometimes we talk about the small groups we lead,” Vitoria said. “Then when people are invited to join a small group, they already know a little bit and are willing to attend. We used to attend a church across a creek from our house,” Vitoria said. “But last year one of Dad’s small groups became
About our cover photo…
W 22
a church. Now we go to that church on Sabbath. It has 25 members now, and it’s growing.” Vitoria and her brother are members of the Pathfinder Club. “The club has several members who are not Adventists. “We invite our friends to come and introduce them to Jesus. Seven are planning to be baptized,” Vitoria says. “Sometimes Daniel and I preach in church. We’re always looking for ways to share God’s love with people.” Vitoria and her family are busy working for Jesus. We can work for Jesus where we live too. We can tell others about God and pray for them to give their hearts to Jesus, and we can give our mission offerings every week. That way people we may never meet on this earth can learn that God loves them. There’s so much we can do! Let’s get busy—just like Vitoria.
Charlotte Ishkanian is the former editor of the Mission magazines for the Office of Adventist Mission at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
African Safari
If you were to visit Africa, what would you see? Find the words in the puzzle below.
F A R M S Y R A I N F O R E S T P R M I S S I O N A R I E S U R T G C A S S A V A P L I O N S I J G I R A F F E S B A N A N A S C I T I E S L I B E R I A L E S W P E E L E P H A N T N I G E R I A I E H B E N I N P L A N T A I N S V V A I A D R U S T M N M N O N P S R G I S A R O V R U P R K P O E A N I U I Y T O T R R V A V N L C S T I R A S E T L O P L A N G R A A A L L N H S I G S
COUNTRIES
LANDSCAPE
Benin Cities A E A A S N E T Ghana Farms Liberia Mountains S O H N W S S Nigeria Rainforest Sierra Leone Rivers N E A T A Ivory Coast Savannah Villages E Y A M S
OTHERS
Drums FOODS D R U M S Bananas Missionaries Cassava T R A W ANIMALS Peanuts Elephant Plantains Giraffes Rice Gorillas Yams Hippo Lions
23
GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD
Blooms by Bethany
M
aking flower arrangements is fun! And it is easier than you think. You don’t need to have floral experience to make something pretty. You can buy flowers at the grocery store or choose flowers that might be blooming in your own backyard.
Pitcher of Color
You can use a vase for your arrangement, but other containers work well, too. With a little imagination, you can put together a simple arrangement to enjoy as long as the fresh flowers last. Bethany discovered there are endless possibilities to making beautiful bouquets.
“It’s not hard, and there’s no right or wrong way to do it—just have fun!” –Bethany
Floating Flower Bowl
Teacup Arrangement
24
Petite Candleholder Display
Floating Flower Tray
Check to see what is blossoming in your own yard. Even the tiniest blooms can be used. Sometimes weeds can be pretty too. If you can’t find flowers, try using stems with leaves or pine needles. Once Bethany started putting together flowers, the ideas kept coming, and now she can hardly stop! She thinks anyone can make a nice arrangement. The main thing is to get started. From ordinary wildflowers to exotic orchids, there are so many flowers to enjoy. Nancy Kyte Office of Adventist Mission
25
MICRONESIA
Jason’s
Victory Socks T
eacher, I can’t put these on,” Jason* said, holding his shoes and socks in his hand. “I don’t know how.” I had just gathered my first-grade students into the classroom after a pleasant session of reading together on the lawn. Most of them had taken off their shoes and socks to enjoy the feel of the soft grass on their feet. But when they slipped back into their seats, they were properly dressed
Several of Michellana’s students.
26
again. Everyone except Jason, who stood before me with an innocent, almost pleading, look in his eyes. “Jason,” I asked quietly, trying not to embarrass him, “have you tried to put your socks on? I will be happy to help you if you can’t do it, but I would like you to try first. You may be surprised by what you can do.” While Jason and I talked, I noticed that my other students had become unusually quiet.
They were sitting at their desks with folded hands, waiting to see what would happen next. Jason took a deep breath and then plopped down on the floor. He fumbled with his sock, struggling to get all five of his toes inside. After a few attempts, he threw down the s o c k a n d exclaimed, “See,
Would you like to be a volunteer missionary someday? Check out Adventist Volunteer Service at www.AdventistVolunteers.org.
Teacher? I told you that I couldn’t do it!” “Yes, you can!” one student called out. “ You can do it, Jason,” said another. I smiled and nodded at Jason, encouraging him to try again. Slowly, Jason reached for the troublesome sock. Holding it tightly in his small hands, he pointed his toes to make his foot as narrow as possible. Then, with a look of fierce concentration, he pulled with all his might. In went his five toes! He even managed to get the elastic top over the back of his heel. For a moment Jason seemed completely surprised by his success. But then he turned to me and yelled, “Look, Teacher, I did it!” The whole class applauded and shouted “Good job, Jason!” I wish that you could have seen the look of pride on Jason’s face. It was priceless. I was happy for Jason, and I gave him a high-five, but the truth is, I felt a little silly applauding someone for such a small accomplishment.
But my students didn’t feel silly, and they taught me a very important lesson that day. I had become a missionary teacher, thinking that I would be the one who did all the instructing. Little did I know that there would be many times when I would learn from my students. It took eight first graders to help me see that what may seem like a small victory in my eyes may be a great accomplishment to someone else. Throughout our lives we experience many small victories. Sometimes we may feel that a victory is so small, it isn’t worth sharing with others. Jason’s accomplishment helped me to learn that no matter how simple a victory may seem, it is still an achievement worthy of God’s praise. * Not his real name.
Michellana Adair graduated from La Sierra University with a degree in communication. She is currently serving as a volunteer vice principal and teacher in Chuuk State, Micronesia.
Michellana in her classroom.
27
THAILAND
The
Christmas Project Cookie G
rowing up as missionary kids, it’s sometimes easy to forget that we actually live in the mission field. Life here seems normal to us, just like life seems normal to you, wherever you live. Last December our family decided to launch a small mission project in an area not far from where we live in Bangkok, Thailand. We have been helping a church planter who is working very hard to start a church in this neighborhood. About 100 families live in small shacks made of wood and tin, crowded together along the banks of a dirty canal. Our plan was to
make 100 bags of Christmas cookies that we could give to these families. We thought that it would make them smile, and maybe it would give us an opportunity to tell them what Christmas is about. So we chose a day to make the cookies. We worked all day long and baked about 400 sugar cookies! Talk about a lot of rolling, cutting, and baking! We made a variety of large and small cookies, cutting them into star, Christmas tree, and gingerbread man shapes. When we lived in another country, before we moved to
Tyler sharing a cookie bag with a man in the neighborhood.
28
Thailand, our mom would make lots of sugar cookies. Then she would invite our friends and the student missionaries to come over to our house for cookie-decorating contests. Everyone always had fun decorating the cookies with different colors of icing. She would prepare the icing ahead of time and put it small plastic bags.
Ryan rolling and cutting cookies.
A day in the life of missionary kids.
Christmas trees decorated and ready to bag!
Ryan and Tyler make a great team! Tyler cutting out big star cookies.
Ryan icing big stars.
“The children were curious to know what we had brought.” –Tyler
We thought the people in the canal neighborhood would enjoy decorating cookies too. So we made up bags with one large decorated cookie as an example. Then we added two or three small plain cookies and several small plastic bags of different colored icing. All the kids would need to do is snip off a small corner of the bag to have fun decorating their own cookies! When we tied the last bow on the final bag, we heaved a sigh of relief and went to bed. On Sabbath we took them to the church plant. When we carried the baskets of cookie bags inside, the small group of Bible students and children were curious to know what we brought. But we waited until after church to show them. 29
Tyler and Ryan carrying baskets full of Christmas cookie bags to hand out. Our four-year-old friend Kanoon, who is learning to love Jesus.
A neighbor that we gave cookies to who doesn’t have any family to care for her.
Two children having fun decorating their cookies from the cookie bags.
Did you know that your weekly mission offerings and world budget offerings help support more than 455 missionary families, such as Tyler’s, around the world? Thank you! When church and potluck were finally over, we brought out the cookie bags. You should have seen the smiles—even on the adults’ faces! One of them, a grandma who is probably in her 50s, got so excited that she immediately put on her shoes and took us around the neighborhood, giving the cookies to the neighbors for us!
30
She was so happy to have something nice to share with her friends and neighbors. We visited a lot of people that day. Some of them were sick, which gave us an opportunity to sing and pray for them. Even though it was a lot of hard work to make all the cookies and put them into the bags, it was worth the
effort. We don’t know whether anyone will learn to love Jesus because of our cookies, but at least they will know that Christians care about them! Tyler Whitsett, 16, moved to Southeast Asia when he was only three years old. He enjoys playing guitar, making homemade pasta, and producing videos. His younger brother Ryan is 13.
INDIA
Kamala is one of thousands of Global Mission pioneers starting new Seventh-day Adventist churches around the world.
Kamala’s
Gift
K
amala is a Global Mission pioneer in New Delhi, India, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Pioneers are tasked with starting new groups of believers in neighborhoods where there is no Adventist presence. Over time, Kamala has made friends in her community. By God’s grace, people have been open to the gospel message and want to learn more about Jesus. Every Sabbath she speaks to a growing congregation that meets in a small room. “Initially there was no organized group here,” says Kamala. “There were just some people scattered around here and there. I used to pray to the Lord to give me a congregation here. Slowly, people started coming to listen to the message.” Kamala visits people in their homes to get to know them better. Through relationships and word of m o u t h , t h i s g r o u p has grown from a small few to a crowded room.
One of the members is Karishma. She came to know Jesus because of Kamala’s visits. Her mother had been sick in bed for 25 years, with little hope for recovery. Since she was always home, she overheard the two women talking about Jesus. She was afraid that Karishma would want to become a Christian, so she warned her not to trust Kamala. Karishma didn’t want to upset her mother, but she truly believed the Adventist message. Against her mother’s advice, she decided to be baptized. She prayed faithfully for her mother every day. Kamala continued to visit and began telling Karishma’s mother of Jesus’ healing power. Eventually, Karishma’s mother accepted Jesus into her life as well. After 25 years of sickness, Karishma’s mother was healed and able to walk again.
Kamala with Karishma.
As congregations like this continue to grow, so does our world’s population. That is why Global Mission pioneers, such as Kamala, continue to work so faithfully. They are doing everything they can to take the gospel to the millions of people who are still waiting to hear about Jesus. Please pray for Kamala and other Global Mission pioneers as they work to start new Seventh-day Adventist congregations.
Ricky Oliveras Office of Adventist Mission Kamala speaks every Sabbath to a growing congregation in this small room.
31
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904
Let’s give them the
keys!
Imagine young Seventh-day Adventists turning the world upside down for Jesus planning mission (at least 75 percent of regional GC offering planning committees will be between ages 5 and 25!) choosing, owning, and implementing life-changing outreach projects Your General Conference Session 2015 Offering can fund thousands of youth-driven mission projects around the globe.
Creativity. Energy. Vision.
OFFERING DATES*
December 13, 2014 April 11, 2015 July 4, 2015
(Collected only at General Conference Session in San Antonio.)
July 11, 2015 *Please check your local offering schedule.
gcsessionoffering.org
